THE BEST PORK SCRATCHINGS

There's not a lot you can say about pig skin & fat, fried then salted, or is there? We have given it a go. Wine connoisseurs seem to find infinite differences and subtleties in that fermented grape juice business, so why not scratchings?

Below is a list of the best pork scratchings we have tasted. The name, the size of the bag, the review date, a summary of the review and the ration out of... TEN!

Bag Size: 60gReviewed on: 26th October 2012Mr Trotters, Great British Pork Crackling is another new posh scratching variety from RGS. Focusing on British ingredients and promoting a more 'natural' product by only adding salt.
The design of the bag is nice, it looks like a traditional paper bag with an old fashioned British holiday resort, wartime illustration of Mr Trotter.
So, here we go, we open the bag, and they look different from what we would expect, they are not scratchings and they are not crunch.
They smell very dry and... Click here to read more

10/10

Midland Snacks - Traditional Pork Scratchings

Bag Size: 99gReviewed on: 6th August 2007I eat this bag in the pub where purchased The Forester Pub, Manford Way. The Beer is good, the atmosphere is perfect, I'm quietly confident.
I open the bag to find a quite meaty and slightly sweet smell, there is an excellent variety of shapes sizes and colours. Big to small, light to dark.
In the top I can mainly see big pieces, which look quite salty. However these pieces are so big, the amount of salt you can taste is negligible. They are really cru... Click here to read more

10/10

Ricks - Quality Pork Scratchings

Bag Size: 85gReviewed on: 16th February 2007A standard bag which is of a good size. It's not a tiny retail bag like you get in some pubs. The design is nice, it's not too 'butcher's bag' like to scare off the novice, but equally it's not like a foil type bag that is used by the big producers.
The shapes inside are so totally random, it's beyond random, more Click here to read more

10/10

Prestige Pork Scratchings

Bag Size: 42gReviewed on: 14th january 201142g clear bag, it's nice to be able to see what's inside the bag for once.
On the bag are some rosettes, awards for... let's wait and see if they get one from us.
We open the bag, they smell porky with a slight fishy flavour underneath, nice. You can also smell the oil that they were cooked in.
It's a medium size bag, probably / hopefully just the right size. goldilocks...
The pieces are either enormous planet size monsters or tiny fellows + dust.
They all have a very dark colour,... Click here to read more

9/10

Uncle Alberts, Barnsley Pig Pork Crackling

Bag Size: 40gReviewed on: 18th June 2008The Uncle Albert Barnsley Pig Scratchings smell of pure animal fat, and smell really fresh.
They smell a bit like roast pork crackling, not like normal scratchings. However, they are not overly bacon like, which is good.
A full range of colours from very light to very dark, but without the usual corresponding flavour varieties from nothing to burnt. The flavours are consistent, and not based upon the amount of cooking.
The skin is hard and crunchy, in a fresh sort of way. The flavour is... Click here to read more

9/10

G. Simmons & Sons Pork Scratchings

Bag Size: 80gReviewed on: 19th January 2009Quite a strong smell upon opening the pack, and when I put my nose in the bag, there's quite a dry smell. We usually find that scratchings have a fishy or bacony smell, but these smell a little like fish food.
A very good range of sizes. Good hard skin. Thick fat. Some meat, none of it burnt. No hairs. A consistently golden colour for all pieces, none overdone. Actually the skin is rather thin and dense, and the fat is fat and thick.
Lots of small bits at the bottom but no dust. A slightly... Click here to read more

9/10

Shakey's, Traditional Black Country Pork Scratchings

Bag Size: 80gReviewed on: 11th August 2008A good Looking 80G clear bag, just the size we like. They have a slightly plain smell, not fishy or porky like many others reviewed.
There is a wide range of colours from light to mid brown, not a sign of a burnt or overdone piece. There are a few very dark flecks on the light scratchings, which we don't know the reason for.
Perfectly salted.
Sizes range from really big (see pic) to smaller bits. Random shapes, from big and curly to long and straight. Some really thin, some huge squares... Click here to read more

9/10

Green Top Snacks, Original Pork Scratchings

Bag Size: 20gReviewed on: 14th August 2008A small bag with a dry clean smell, nothing out of the ordinary. A very good range of sizes and shapes for such a small bag. The pieces are all a golden colour, no light or no dark pieces.
Nice and crunchy, not too hard and mot to soft, just as goldilocks would have of approved of. No pieces splinter in my mouth, and no cuts to the roof of my mouth.
The skin is crunchy, the fat is of a medium thickness, there are some hard pieces of meat, but no bits with hair.
The flavour is fairly sweet, so... Click here to read more

9/10

Big D Pork Crunch

Bag Size: 42gReviewed on: 18th June 2008This bag of pork crunch smell like a room full of bacon, very nice, a vegetarians worst nightmare, the small that can turn them back to omnivores.
The usual one and a half inch pork crunch squares, no massive or tiny ones.
The usual light brown colouration, so not under or over cooked.
They taste like crackley porky monster munch. They are not very salty, and they are very puffy. A few bits are not cooked properly and ... Click here to read more

9/10

Whittles Crisps, Gluten Free Black Country Pork Scratchings

Bag Size: 75gReviewed on: 30th May 2009Gluten free pork scratchings? Should this make a difference to the flavour? Why is gluten needed in pork scratchings anyway? Is gluten a good or bad thing? Let's find out.
First thing to note is the bag design, it's really nice and simple, there are no real graphics, no data, no bar code, no colours. Less is more.
We open the bag and notice quite a nice smell with a slight hint of fish, just right. The bag contain... Click here to read more

9/10

Yorkshire Produce Pork Scratchings

Bag Size: 125gReviewed on: 8th August 2005Well here we go, the first Hairy Bar Snacks review, I hope it was worth it.
The first thing we notice about this pack of scratchings is the bag. Not the usual affair but a large clear plastic bag (12 by 14 inches!) sealed with loads of Sellotape. This definitely is a small business, and lets hope the scratchings taste accordingly. Once past the sellotape I find that there is another bag of equal size inside, this I like, it's a reassuring pleasure to know that the contents has every change of b... Click here to read more

9/10

Openshaws, Lancashire, Big Bag Traditional Pork Scratchings

Bag Size: 75gReviewed on: 26th October 2012A traditional looking creation from the guys at Freshers Foods, and as we know from other reviews, different scratchings from one manufacturer don't all taste the same, so here goes...
We open the bag and get one of the usual smells, a dryish smell, difficult to explain, but try them and you'll know what we mean.
They all seem very heavy and dense, not light and airy, so a good start.
We see the full range of scratching requirements, meat / fat / skin / hair, which seems to be somewhat of... Click here to read more

9/10

RTP, Porky Quality Pork Crunch

Bag Size: 30gReviewed on: 13th November 2008Upon opening the bag we smell a quite fatty smell, with a hint of added flavouring. The colour range is non existent, in other words, they are all the same. The sizes and shapes are all bigger than a one bite piece, two or more bites are needed for each bit. They are all very airy indeed with an even thickness across the pack. They are very noisy, crunchy and fresh, and very bubbly indeed.
There are no visible signs of any added flavourings, and they taste as if not much has been added eithe... Click here to read more

9/10

Ray Gray, Apple Sauce Dip, pot Pork Crackling

Bag Size: 70gReviewed on: 16th January 2009Opening a pot is something new, Peeling back a foil lid. Whatever will they think of next.
The smell of this box of scratchings is fairly plain, but wait... there's a slight hint of meatiness. There are six pieces in the box! yes six, but before you choke on you pint, wait a minute. All the pieces are big and long and fat. They look like they have been selected by hand and lovingly and neatly laid down in the pot. Still, a few more would have been nice, but I suppose that's where the bag opti... Click here to read more

9/10

Ray Gray, Apple Sauce Dip Pork Crackling

Bag Size: 80gReviewed on: 21st September 2008We have been looking forward to these for a while now, saving them for a special occasion, but none came up, so to the pub we went...
The bag is large and heavy and gold, a fairly minimal design, but the gold bag really does the job.
We open the bag, and notice that they smell really nice. Not fishy or stale, generally we find that scratching taste better than they smell, so if this is to be the case we are in for a treat.
Inside we see a small white pot with a foil lid, inside is the app... Click here to read more

9/10

Mrs Porky Pork Scratchings

Bag Size: unknowngReviewed on: 29th February 2012There is no weight on the bag, but it looks bigger than Mr. Porky bags.
The bag looks the same as the Mr. Porky bag but it has Mrs. Porky and there is a lady on the bag instead of a man.
Smell - They smell good, nice fresh crisp pork rind smell.
Sizes - Small & Medium
Colours - Mid & Light
Composition - Skin & Fat. No meat.
Taste - Best scratchings ever !!!!
Flavour - Excellent. Best I have tasted.
Crunch - Very crunchy, but not too hard.
Freshness - Excellent.
Salt ... Click here to read more

9/10

Crown Park Foods Bar Snax

Bag Size: 95gReviewed on: 5th January 2008Well first things first, the name: Bar Snax, pretty good, we know where you are coming from, even if the spelling is not perfect. The word 'pork scratchings' seems to be secondary to the term bar snax, there must be a reason for this, but who knows? A nice looking bag with the brewers horse and cart, simple and traditional.
So on to the contents, a nice smell that does not smell salty like some other brands. A very good selection of shapes and sizes, no machine cuts visible here. Unusually th... Click here to read more

9/10

Uncle Alberts Scratchings

Bag Size: 56gReviewed on: 30th june 2008Very very crunchy, but quite light in weight and quite dark in colour. Some bits are like lumps of concrete, but they don't splinter when they are crunched. They look like dirty fingernails. Good big thick pieces, but no giant bits. Plenty of soft bits, not too salty and pretty meaty. These have a really different flavour possibly due to the added pepper. Thin skin, thick fat, no meat, no hairs. They don't get caught in your teeth, they don't turn into molar cement like some can. The bottom dust... Click here to read more

8/10

Ace Scratchings - Black Country Traditional Pork Scratchings

Bag Size: 42gReviewed on: 15th November 2005Ace Scratchings have supplied another subtly designed pack. Not quite as understated as the sublime Ace Q Pork Crackling and a smaller bag 42g.
Quite a musty smell, a mature skin is the gut feeling I get. Excellent randomness of sizes and shapes. Not too salty, a walk in the park for a bag of this size. A very big layer of fat on some pieces, which at first worries me, but a surprisingly un-fatty taste which is good. Then a real tooth bre... Click here to read more

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